Book Review: Breaking Bad Habits in Dogs

Breaking Bad Habits in Dogs (Second Edition), Colin Tenant, 2010.

I own lots of training books. I bought this one for two reasons. First, it has lots of photos that demonstrate behaviors or training techniques. Let’s face it. When you want quick information and not a lengthy dissertation about animal behavioral science, nothing works better than a picture.

The second reason was the chapter about dominant dogs. I recognized several of Gracie’s behaviors as acts of dominance. Her nudging to be petted is viewed as dominant behavior. The book suggests that a dog will be less anxious when she knows her place in the family hierarchy. Since Gracie has anxiety issues, I was intrigued.

The book also offers advice for dealing with aggression toward other dogs, separation anxiety, excessive barking, and other behavioral issues. Again, the pictures are helpful in demonstrating techniques and examples of various behaviors.

I would not consider this book to the Holy Grail of dog training books. However, it is worth adding to your library. I picked up a few interesting ideas and plan to tweak them to fit Gracie’s learning style. Good luck!